Clothes-line holder.



proved clothes-line holder.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

I No. 806,558.

Specification of Letters Batent.

Patented Dec. 5, 1905. 1

Application filed June 23, 1905. Serial No. 266,678.

To all whom it mag concern..-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MOCLAY, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at'Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inClothes-Line Holders. of which the following is a specification,reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements inclothes-line holders; and the invention has for its object the provisionof novel means for temporarily holding a clothes-line whereby it may bestretched from different points to support clothes.

My invention aims to provide a new article of manufacture which will beextremely simple in construction. strong and durable, com-- parativelyinexpensive to manufacture. and highly eflicient for temporarily holdinglines.

Afurther object of the invention is this provision of novel means fortemporarily holding a line whereby it will be unnecessary to tie anyportion of the line or disfigure the same. To this end I have devised aholder which can be easily and. quickly secured to a,

suitable support and aline secured therein, whereby it cannot becomedetached by a weight in proportion to its tensile strength suspendedupon the same.

With the above and other objects in view designate corresponding partsthroughout the several views, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view ofmy im- Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the base-plate of the same. Fig.3 is a perspective view of the rear face of the detachable member of myimproved line-holder. Fig. 4. is a vertical sectional View of theline-holder. Fig. 5 isa perspective view of the detachable member of thelineholder, illustrating a gripping plunger mounted therein. Fig. 6 is atransverse sectional view on the line w w of Fig.4, and Fig. 7 isasectional view on the line y y of Fig 4:. Fig.8 is a sectional view ofthe line-holder on the line 8 8 of Fig.4.

To put my invention into practice, 1 construct my improved line-holderof a base-plate 1, which, together with theother parts of my upon theplate.

improved"lineholder, are preferably constructed of light anddurable-metal, which is cast to conform to the various shapes neces'sary to a compact and complete line-holder. The lower end of thebase-platel is provided with an outwardly-extending protuberance 2, thefront end of which is provided with an upwardly-extending lug '3, andthe sides of this lug are provided with indentations or cutaway portions4 4.. The top face of the protuberance 2 lying between the lug 3 and thebase-plate 1 is'serrated or roughened, as indicated at 5, the object ofwhich will be presently described. The base-plate 1 is provided with aplurality of apertures 6, whereby screws, nails, or the like fasteningmeans can be employed for securing the base-plate to a suitable support.Centrally of the'base-plate I provide a vertically-disposed groove 7 thelower end of which terminates in a verticallydis'posed opening 8. Uponeach side of the groove 7 I provide angularly-disposed pins or studs 99, and the top edge of the plate 1 is 'providedwith a screw-threadedaperture 10,

said aperture and pins 9 being employed to retain a detachable member 11in engagement with the plate This detachable member 11 is clearlyillustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings, the member consisting of ablock having an oval front side 12 and a rear flat face 14. This face isprovided with a vertically-disposed slot 15 and with a recess 16, saidrecess lying at right angles or to one side of the vertically-disposedslot 15 and inter: cepting the same. The face 14. of the member or blockis also provided with angulardisposed openings 17 17, these openingsbeing adapted to receive the pins or studs 9 9 of the plate 1 when themember or block is mounted In order to retain the top edge of the blockor member in engagement with the plate 1, -I provide the member withascrew-threaded opening 18 to accommodate a set-screw or bolt 19,adapted to engage in the screw-threaded aperture or opening 10 of theplate 1. clined, it is necessary when placing the member or block uponthe plate 1 to move the same downwardly over the pins until it engagesthe plate, and when the set-screw or bolt 19"is placed in the apertures18 and 10 it will be impossible for the block or member to becomedetached until said screw or bolt removed. I

, Prior to mounting the member or blockll As the pins or studs 9 areinupon the plate 1 I place a gripping-plunger within the member 11. Thisgripping-plunger consists of a cross-head 20, having a centralvertically-disposed shank 21, which is adapted to lie within thevertically-disposed slot of the member 11. The upper end of the shank 21is provided with an angular extension 22, extending into the recess 16of the member 11. Interposed between the extension 22 and the bottomedge 23 of the recess 16 is a coiled spring 24:, adapted to normallyretainthe gripping-plunger in an elevated position. The bottom face ofthe cross-head is provided with two serrated concavities or grooves 2525.

Extending upwardly through the opening 8 of the protuberance 2 into thegroove 7 of the plate 1 is a rod 26, the upper end of which is bent, asat 27, to engage in a notch or recess 28, formed in thegripping-plunger. The lower end of the rod 26 is bent outwardly, as at29, and then downwardly, as indicated at 30. Intermediate the ends ofthis rod I provide notches or teeth,31, which are adapted to engage atpredetermined times the lower sharp edge-32 of the opening 8.

In operation when it is desired to secure the end of a line or anyportion of the line within my improved holder it is placed upon theserrated or roughened surface of the protuberance 2, and the rod 26 isgripped and pulled downwardly until the gripping-plunger engages thatportion of the rope lying upon the protuberance 2. The lower end of therod 26 is then moved outwardly until one of the notches or teeth 31engage the lower sharp edge 32 of the opening 8, and said rod will beheld in engagement with the protuberance 2 by the tension of the spring24, which nor-' mally tends to elevate the gripping-plunger. The rope attwo points will be held between the teeth 5 and the serrated orroughened grooves 25 25 of the cross-head 20, and a portion of the ropewill lie in one of the indentations or cut-away portions 4 of the lug 3,as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. When it is desired toremove a rope clamped by my improved holder, it is only necessary topush inwardly upon the lower end of the rod 26, and upon the teeth ornotches 31 becoming disengaged from the 1: rotuberance 2 the spring 2 1will return the gripping-plunger to its normal position, releasing theline. I have constructed the lower end of the rod 26 whereby when theholder is secured to a support the hand of a person can be readilyplaced behind the rod to actuate the same.

It will be observed by providing the detachable member or block inconnection with the plate 1 that this member can be readily removed atany time it is desired to renew any of the parts within the holder or toremove the plate 1 from its support, this last operation being essentialboth when securing the plate to a support and removing it, access notbeing had to the screw-openings 6 until said block is removed.

I claim A clothes-line holder, comprising a baseplate provided on itsfront face at the lower end thereof with a projection, a notched lugrising from said projection and spaced away from the base-plate, theupper face of said projection being serrated, upwardly-inclined pinscarried on the outer face of said baseplate, said base-plate having agroove in its outer face communicating with an opening which extendsthrough the projection, and a housing hung on the pins carried by saidbaseplate and having a slot and a recess communicating with said slot, agripping-plunger having a shank extending into the slot of said housingand having an angular extension near its upper end extending into therecess in said housing, a spring arranged between said extension and thebase of the recess, and a rod arranged in the groove in said base-platewith its upper end engaged with the shank of the plunger, said rodprojecting through the opening at the lower end of the base-plate, andprovided intermediate its ends with teeth adapted to engage with thewall of said opening, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

WILLIAM MoGLAY.

Witnesses:

'E. E. POTTER, H. C. EVERT.

